SE Alaska Cruise: June 13 to July 4

June 13 to July 4, 2014

Sitka to Petersburg

After our company departed on June 9, it was time to re-supply, do laundry, wash the boat, and pursue the pesky repair list.  We were glad we stayed in Sitka an extra couple days.  Patrick and Miriam Gill on “Spirit” came in and we had a delightful couple of evening with them.  We also had a chance to become reacquainted with Alex on “Wild Blue” who was entertaining several friends from San Luis Obispo, CA.  They were all about fishing and ad some great stories to tell.

We departed Sitka on Friday, June 13, headed for Petersburg.  We had hoped to go down the west side of Baranof, but the weather was not in our favor…35-knot winds and 8’ seas.  Yikes!  We made our way to Appleton Cove in Peril Strait, a favorite anchorage and were soon talking to Erik and Sherry Muller on “Dolphin”.  Erik is originally from Visalia, CA, and we’ve shared many conversations of reminiscing.  They were out in their dinghy dropping a crab pot when we arrived and said we were all invited to dinner on the boat of their friends from Fidalgo Yacht Club, also anchored nearby…Gary and Bill on Amadon Light.  We had another evening of great food and even greater conversation!  Ahhhh, the boating life!

We were rather slow in departing on Saturday, June 14, and soon rued our pokiness.  We pulled into Peril Strait, bound for Takatz Bay and found wind and chop.  Once we turned south in Chatham Strait it got even worse…4’ seas and wind gusts up 35 knots!  Yikes!  Our usual “don’t go” numbers are seas greater than 3’ and winds greater than 20 knots.  It was a miserable 2-hour ride to Takatz.  Fortunately, once we turned in and passed the first set of islets it was calm and peaceful, even though rainy.  We anchored across the bay from the waterfall in a little niche...perfect spot!

We watched lots of eagles in this little bay and were particularly surprised at this eagle sitting on a crab pot.  The tide had gone out and the crab pot was sitting on the mud.

The weather predictions for Sunday, June 15, were equally bad in South Chatham Strait so we chose to spend Father’s Day in this pretty little anchorage. 

It was rainy in the morning and just after the last cruiser neighbor departed, in roared a fishing boat, “Rose Lee” out of Petersburg.  They had come in to pick up personal crab pots and it looked to us that they surely pulled right up on shore.  On her way out “Rose Lee” passed between Cosmo Place and shore…those boat pilots are good!

By Sunday afternoon we had warm sunshine and amazing views of the snowy peaks around us.  Douglas, the “cruising Bible” that we refer to as we hunt for places to anchor calls this spot a “beautiful anchorage in a granite bowl”.  Absolutely correct! 

A great place to spend Father’s Day!

Having a long lazy afternoon on the boat is a good chance to work on reading all those books our generous friends have shared with us.  It's so easy to be lazy on a Sunday afternoon!

June 16, Monday, we were ready for new scenery and departed for Cannery Cove, a favorite spot of ours on Admiralty Island.  We’ve been here several times before and knew this to be another pretty granite bowl in which to anchor.  We were anticipating another front to blow through and thought we’d have decent protection here. 

We were joined by several other boats who also sat out the storm with us.  My photo doesn’t do this pretty place justice, but we’ll return later and show you some pretty shots.

We stayed in Cannery Cove until Wednesday, June 18.  Finally the weather lifted enough to proceed across Frederick Sound to tonight’s anchorage in Read Island Cove, Farragut Bay.  The water wasn’t flat…2’ seas and 20-25 knot winds and showers…so once again we had a bouncy ride.  Fortunately, the wind was right on our nose, so we weren’t rolling around in beam seas!

The anchorage at Read Island Cove was a new one to us, on the “North American” side of Frederick Sound.  We spotted a little Sitka deer as we pulled in.  This is the first one we've seen this year.  We had arrived in the early afternoon and decided a nap was in order.  When we made our way back “upstairs” about 1600, there were Erik and Sherry, on “Dolphin”, the couple we had last seen in Appleton Cove.  They came over for breakfast the next morning and we had a good visit.  They’ve cruised in Southeast Alaska for many years and are a wealth of knowledge.  We soon had our charts out and were marking places to see, fishing holes, and interesting villages.  Wonderful!

Thursday, June 19, we had a short run to Ruth Island Cove in Thomas Bay.  This bay, formed by Baird Glacier led to a fjord with steep sides and a glacier at the head.  The fjord’s hillsides show evidence of lots of running water related to heavy snows on the peaks.  Although Baird Glacier is no longer a tidewater glacier, it is still quite visible from the water.  

Harry Colp wrote a story of strange monsters in Thomas Bay called “The Strangest Story Ever Told”.  This story was written in 1900 about four prospectors who were ready to make their fortunes in Alaska.  They heard from an old Indian that there was a ridge of gold quartz above Thomas Bay, or The Bay of Death (so called because of a landslide that wiped out a village, killing 500 inhabitants).  I won’t spoil the story, but these prospectors had quite a creepy adventure, finding “monsters” on the mountain.  The most interesting thing we saw as we approached our anchorage in Ruth Island Cove was a logging operation!  Not very unusual in this neck of the woods.

Friday, June 20, we were off to a moorage in North Harbor, Petersburg.  Although we had considered anchoring out one more day and exploring Ideal Cove on the east side of Mitkof Island, the weather predictions did not look good, so we chose to go to town a day early.  We got lots of chores done while we were there:  changing the engine oil, a couple of grocery runs, laundry, visits with friends, and church on Sunday.  By Monday, June 23, we were cleaned up, tidied up, and well-supplied for our next round of company.

Tuesday, June 24, Jerry’s sister, Becky Yurkovich, brother, Don Woodall, and sister-in-law, Sally Woodall arrived on the afternoon plane.  Don and Sally had cruised with us to Victoria in 2010, but this was Becky’s first trip to the boat.  We were all excited to spend a week with them, cruising beautiful SE Alaska.  To celebrate their arrival, we had pizza at Papa Bear’s!  You might wonder how we accommodated three guests!  Sally slept in the second cabin, Don slept on the settee in the salon, and Becky slept in the pilothouse.  Everyone said they were comfortable and rested well!

When we planned the trip for our Becky, Sally, and Don, we picked our favorite spots and hoped the theme of this cruise would be whales, glaciers and bears.  What could be better!?! 

Wednesday, June 25, we were off at 0700 to make our way back to Cannery Cove.  After a beautiful trip across Frederick Sound, and a few whale sightings in the distance we passed the Cannery Cove fishing camp and dropped our anchor in this lovely granite bowl.  We sat on the boat’s back deck and watched a pair of eagles fishing to feed their nest of chicks, just above us in the trees.  Unlike the last time we were here in the rain, we had a lovely sunny afternoon and the cove all to ourselves.

Thursday, June 25, we once again departed about 0700, bound for Taku Harbor.  We chose this remote moorage, knowing it would be our last chance to get off the boat until we returned to Petersburg.  On our way north along the west side of Stephens Passage, we passed the opening to Seymour Canal and saw several whales spouting and feeding.    Our first good whale-sighting with our company.  Yippee!

As we neared the entrance to Taku Harbor, we saw our first iceberg – an escapee from Tracy Arm, tomorrow’s destination.  We had not seen one this far north before!  I’m always amazed at the number of birds sitting on the floating ice.  I would think their little feet would freeze right off.

Once we were moored in Taku Harbor, we were ready to explore the cannery ruins and the forest service cabin.  Taku Harbor, about 20 miles SE of Juneau in Stephens Passage, has a primitive dock maintained by the city of Juneau and is a popular cruising destination for Juneau boaters.  The harbor was the site of a Hudson’s Bay trading post, established in 1840.  In the 1900’s a commercial cannery was located here and was in operation until the 1940’s.  

We explored the ruins as we stretched our legs.  In our explorations of the ruins, we even found bricks made in St. Louis!

We also walked to the forest service cabin, named the Tiger Olsen cabin, for the gold miner and trapper who lived here after the cannery closed.  The cabin sleeps 8 and visitors have used a spiral notebook to record their stays.  We found our entries from both 2011 and 2012, and made another note for our 2014 visit.  Don thought the cabin had some potential but the rest of us decided we would stay on the boat!  It was pretty rustic and I’m sure the bears would be quite curious if there was any odor of food around the cabin.

Just down the trail from the cabin, back in the trees, we found the swing that has been here each time we’ve visited.  Becky was ready to give it a try!

We soon finished our wanderings and were back on the boat, in time for cocktails.  As usual, “what’s for dinner” was a popular question.  It was great fun cooking for a new crowd and we didn’t miss a meal.  It was fun to serve things that Becky, Sally, and Don didn’t usually eat…tomato bruschetta, chili verde, sourdough pancakes, etc.

By the end of the evening, there were seven boats moored at this little dock and five more anchored around the bay.  Quite a popular place!

Friday, June 27, we had a leisurely departure (0945) since we thought we were only going about 20 miles to No Name Cove.  However at the last moment we decided to go north about 5 miles to Circle Point where we had seen sea lions sitting on the rocks several weeks ago.  No such luck today, though!  On to No Name Cove.  We arrived about 1400 and decided to continue up Tracy Arm before anchoring.  We knew the Tracy Arm fjord to be well worth a look-see.  We weren’t disappointed!  We had a cruise past beautiful steep granite walls, floating ice, 

and a glimpse of Sawyer Glacier from Sawyer Island.

We were back in No Name Cove by 1735 and easily anchored.  After a delicious dinner (if I do say so myself!) we watched the pretty sunset views from our vantage point.  Such a great anchorage!  The big iceberg in the foreground was stuck on the little bar at the entrance to the cove.

Saturday, June 28, we departed at 0830 to make our way up Endicott Arm for 30 miles to Dawes Glacier.  This fjord was wider and the peaks shorter for the first 2/3 of the trip.  We saw more big floating iceberg, beginning just past Harbor Island and all the way to the glacier.  Fortunately, we saw less pack ice and easily made our way up the arm.  

Along the way we watched this pair of bald eagles as they fished in the cold water, probably to feed their nest. 

As we approached the glacier, we saw lots of icebergs with mother seals and their pups resting on the ice.  We passed slowly and cautiously, so as not to disturb them.  What a place to raise your baby!

As we got closer to the face of Dawes Glacier, we could see another boat closer in, the “David B”.  We had seen this boat two years before in Juneau and Jerry had a tour of the old boat’s engine room.  We saw then later, moored in Petersburg and learned their story.The owners run a charter service between Ketchikan and Juneau and have room for 6 guests. 

We listened to the glacier moan and rumble and did get to see several calvings.  This photo shows David B as the ice hit the water.  We got quite a swell as the wave rolled by us.

Of course, we think that glacier viewing included lots of photo opps…here are shots of some happy folks:

Even the captain and the first made got a picture taken!

As you would experct, it was noticeably colder as we approached the glacier and a steady 10 knot wind blew down off the glacier toward us.  Because there was little ice in the water, navigation was easier than our last experience in Tracy Arm.

We could have stayed all day, waiting for the next major calving, but after an hour or so, we departed.

On our way back to No Name Cove, we grabbed a couple of bergie bits for cocktail time!  Snatching some small 10,000 year old ice in our fishing net has become a traditional part of our glacier exploration.

We arrived back at No Name Cove about 2000, tired but happy.  I had started the grill on the return cruise and by the time we had set the anchor, dinner was ready…beer can chicken.  Yum!

Jerry and I had were pooped and left the party early but Becky, Sally, and Don stayed up towatch the sunset and look for bears.  So far this trip we’d been “skunked” in the bear viewing department.  About 2230, Becky came and got me to take pictures of the bear they saw on the shore.  Our first and only bear of this trip!  Becky said they had also seen a cub, but he had already disappeared into the woods when I got there.  Mama was definitely a grizzly…pretty exciting!

Sunday, June 29, it was time to head south toward Petersburg, but we had one more anchorage ahead of us in Read Island Cove.  Once again, we were on whale watch as we cruised down Stephens Passage into Frederick Sound and saw lots of spouts, and had a couple of close encounters.  By this

time, everyone was very experienced at spotting whales and it almost became a contect to see who could spot the most and the quickest.

Although Don had been piloting the boat for several days, it was Becky’s turn to play captain, and she did a great job!  Of course, big brother, Jerry, or the pesky sister-in-law (me!) were close by to help with the finer details!

Smokey loved having all the company on the boat.  Becky, Sally, and Don were all delightfully attentive to her and she got lots more treats than when it is just Jerry and I around!  She quickly developed a new routine once we were settled for the night.  She would begin by sitting in the window of the pilothouse, watching Becky read.  Pretty soon she hopped down and checked on Don, before retiring to the window ledge above the electrical panels.  She didn’t sleep with us once!  Of course, now that they are gone she’s back between us on the bed.

All too soon we were back in Petersburg on Monday morning.  We had allowed some time to do a little exploring of the town and to get some shopping done.  Even though Petersburg has a small downtown, we were able to find sweatshirts, souveniers, and even a new cookbook for me!

Becky, Sally, and Don departed Tuesday morning, July 1.  

We decided to stay put I Petersburg for the Fourth of July festivities and catch up on our socializing with our “boater” and “townie” friends who live there.  Petersburg is a rather unique town in that there just isn’t much of any place to go out to eat, other than Papa Bear’s Pizza.  Consequently, lots of folks host dinner parties, potlucks, and informal get togethers in their homes.  It’s my theory that this is partly what makes this little town such a tight community.  It’s hard to be angry at someone when you just had dinner with him last night in his home!  

Petersburg does the Fourth well, and, residents of SE Alaska put their own spin on the celebration.

Our townie friend, Grant Trask in the white hat, marching in the parade to promote the Clausen Museum.

Barb Fish (one of our boatie friends who, with her husband Rick, has moved to Alaska on their boat permanently) and her friend Susan, both library board members, promoting summer reading.  They were mermaids….

The theme of the Petersburg Lutheran Church VBS this year was “Weird Animals Where Jesus’ Love is One of a Kind”.

Petersburg’s own roller derby team the Ragnorak Rollers skated through the parade.

Petersburg’s champion log roller demonstrated his talents, rolling down the street.  I was standing by some Australians who were visiting for the Fourth and they were quite impressed with this entry!  The log rolling competition was held the next evening, but he was unable to attend...he was out crab fishing!

Parade day was overcast with sprinkles and eventually we had a monsoon-type downpour, but it didn’t dampen the spirits of these hardy celebrants.

 On Saturday, July 5 (did you think this was a one day event?), the festivities continued 5-alarm go-kart races down Nordic Drive.  We decided this event was a win-win situation.  

 The volunteer firemen got some practice managing the hoses, the kids got a quick trip down the street, and it didn’t matter if it was raining.  Everyone got wet regardless!

The winner is the first one who puts out the fire in the house at the other end of the street.

This event lasted over 2 hours as just about every kid in Petersburg took their turn at a ride down Nordic Drive.

Late afternoon, we were back in the Middle Harbor to watch the tote races

We even found a dry window for a walk through the muskeg with Barb Fish (the mermaid, unveiled!).

Sunday found us in church at Petersburg Lutheran Church, one of those churches where one always feel welcomed and gathered in to the fellowship.  Sadly, on Monday, July 7, it was time to leave for Wrangell and our new dinghy motor.  We pulled up to the tall dock, below the big crane and watched our dinghy as it was lifted off and on to a trailer.

We got the dinghy with the new motor bacon Tuesday, July 8, right after we finished with our laundry and grocery shopping chores.  We took it for a spin (in the torrential rain!) and it worked beautifully!  So, tomorrow, July 9, we will fuel up, load the dinghy and head to Point Baker.  We love that quirky little community and are curious to see what's changed in the last two years.  We will be in Craig by Sunday, July 13, as we await the arrival of our next guest, Beth Bream.

Stay tuned, there's more to come...